


It was supposed to have two straws.....

by Alpha_bet_stories



Series: East wood high [1]
Category: Eastwoodhigh, eastwood high
Genre: Angst, F/M, alchohol, eastwoodhigh - Freeform, probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-12 07:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13542480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alpha_bet_stories/pseuds/Alpha_bet_stories
Summary: HEY SAGE DONT LOOK AT THIS :p





	1. Flying home

_Why did I even come here?_  

She stands at the party. In the middle, people dancing all around her. She dances too. 

_Whats the point?_

The music pulses around her. She feels herself smiling. She laughs and she feels someone talking to her. She doesn’t listen. 

_Why haven’t you come back..._

But nothing matters. It hasn’t for a while. Acting? Acting is easy. Viv can act. But inside? That deep swirling pit in her heart? It’s much harder to lie to yourself. And she feels it. Constantly. She feels her heart hurt. She feels forgein tears slip down her face and night. She feels tea slide down her throat in an effort to quell the ache in her chest. But it’s still there. It’s always there. And he’s not. 

* * *

 

So she dances. She laughs. She flirts. She smiles her pretty smile and laughs her pretty laugh. She pretends to drink things handed to her by people her don’t really care about her. She pretends to drink them. Nothing has changed in the world around her. Her anxiety is still there. Her fear is still there. It always will be. He isn’t. 

Some stranger pushes her as they brush past her. She catches the sight of bright neon blonde hair, but they’re gone before she can see more. She takes it as her cue to leave, the party become more reckless and more drunk than her comfort zone can handle. She turns around, searching for the person who brought her here, but she quickly stops as she catches something else. Something she didn’t expect to see here.

 

Him. 

 


	2. Before

18 hours ago: 

 She wasn’t drunk, she knew that much. But with the tears blurring her vision and her completley inconvientiant inability to think, she might as well be. She knew where she was headed. Home. Towards the only safety and comfort she could think of. She had been at the party all night, trying as hard as she could to forget him. But she couldn’t. His eyes....his eyes haunted her. His hands. His words. His smile. Everything made her heart ache, her head hurt, and her eyes only teared up more. Why? Why couldn’t he come back. Why couldn’t he just tell her that he’d get better. Get better for her. But days passed. Days with no answer. No knock at the door. No phone call. Not even a text. Was she as miserable as him? She doubted it. Her feet tripped over the curb. She was close to home now. Back to his room, back to his hugs. She stumbled up stairs, counting the flights. 1,2,3. She tried to remember the right number, but decided to go off pure instinct. She knocked on his door. He answered.

She had come crashing into his room, crying. He pulled her into a hug as she cried. He didn’t ask questions. She was grateful. She didn’t know if she was strong enough to repeat what happened. They slumped to the ground, her sobs slowly quieting as she fell asleep. Devon picked her up and carried her to his bed. He had been her best friend long enough to know when something bad had happened. He knew it was best not to ask until she was ready. And clearly she wasn’t ready. 

So he picked up her favorite tea from the pantry. He pulled her mug from cabinet. He smiled as he remembered her instructions when they were first becoming friend: 

“Your mugs are fine. I just really love my mugs. So one of my mugs is going to stay at your place. So I’ll always have a mug!” 

He remebered her grin. For someone who always dressed in black, she was happy. Cheerful. They became fast friends. 

Devon watched the tea boil. He poured the water into her mug and placed it beside his bedside table. He made a cup of coffee for himself. He crawled onto the other side of his bed. He was careful not to disturb Viv, but he wasn’t worried. She would be asleep for a while. He put on Netflix as he drank his coffee.

 

 


	3. But she woke up

Viv woke up slowly. She opened her eyes. She eventually registered the sound of supergirl playing. After a few minutes she turned over. 

“Good morning sleeping beauty” 

The warm farmiliar voice of her best friend made her smile for a moment. He was such a dork. Then her smile fell. She remembered why she was at her best friend’s place in the first place. 

“Hey, no no no. I don’t know what happened but I refuse to let you mope. It’s nearly lunchtime now. We are going out. Then, we’re getting you ready for a party. Conner’s holding one in celebration of the blue moon or whatever.” 

“I can’t go to a party Devon. Char....charlie. He’s hasnt come back....”

Devon’s confidence wavered. He had watched her slowly slip away for days. Charlie never came back with an answer. After a few days, he guessed Viv broke. She realized he wasn’t coming back. 

But he couldn’t let her mope forever. If he let her, she would be gone forever. She had a tendency to go far away. Someplace he couldn’t reach her no matter how physically close they were. She tortured herself over things she had done a long time ago. She said, once, that the pain as exquisite. Her laughter didn’t reach her eyes as she said it. 

So he eventually pulled her up. After wrangling her into sitting up, she gave up and swung her legs to the side of the bed. She sighed as she slowly got up, a cup of tea thrust into her hand. It was warm. It had recently been in the microwave. And no matter how much she hated herself, and hated Devon for pushing her out of the comfort and safety of his bed, she was grateful. Without him, she would be alone. 

Alone....

* * *

Viv walked out of the bathroom, twirling around to show Devon. He nodded. 

“I’ll get you to wear pants one day”

”ha! As if!” 

“Okay, let’s make a bet. If he’s there at the party, you have to wear whatever outfit I pick out for you. You have to wear it outside somewhere.”

Vivian contemplated. What were the odds of Charlie being there. 0. None. He’d be avoiding her. Getting drunk at home. Finding some little bitch to fall for his tricks...just like she did. 

“Alright, deal. And if he isn’t, I get to have free reign over Netflix for a week. We watch whatever a put on” 

Of course, for Devon this was a win-win situation. If he was there, she’d get a day in the outfit of his choice. If he wasn’t, they’d just watch supergirl all day for a week. He couldn’t lose. 

“Deal.”

She grinned. It was, for once, an actual grin. 

* * *

 The music pulsed around her. She dances. She smiled. Only one person could ever call her out on her smile. But he was off. Devon was popular. He was the kind of guy everyone who was someone knew. If you were friends with him, you were in the In crowd. But still, he bothered with her. She never understood why. She gave up trying. 

Some people flirted with her. She laughed and politely left and made her rounds. Very few people knew about Charlie. Even less knew that he and Viv dated. She was grateful. Not many questions were asked. 

Some stranger pushed past her. She moved. She turned around. It was a mistake to do that. Everything was going fine at the party. She was about to leave. It would have been a nice night out. 

That was, until she saw him. 

_He’s going to make me wear pants._

 


	4. CHARACTER INFO

Character Info: 

 

Devon Williams

19 years old 

Ace Aro 

met Viv 2 years ago 

major: creative writing

personality: 

10/10 a sweet dude. He doesn’t particularly like labels, so he doesn’t usually tell people he’s ace aro. Viv was one of the few people he told. 

He’s extremely easy going. He and Viv have this older brother/little sister thing going on.  He is her home. He likes to laugh a lot. Is into superheroes, and is a huge nerd. He looks like a jock, but he’s never played a sport in his life. He’s in with the popular crowd but doesn’t give a shit about the labels everyone tried to fall under. He’s content and confident with himself. He dressing graphic tees and usually some sort of mildly ripped jeans. He has short brown hair, kinda straight, that flips over to the right side. It’s shorter on the left side.

his favorite color is dark green, he prefers dogs, wants a border collie, and is currently a creative writing major. 

 

Vivian Webb:

18 years old 

Pan Ace 

met Devon 2 years ago 

major: photography 

personality: 

Anxious little bean. She’s known as one of the edgy kids. She’s only seen in black skirts with a gray graphic tee. She wears black and white arm warmers and a black choker. Her hair is shoulder length and black, topped with a beanie. A few strands fall onto her nose. 

She got kicked out of her family a few months into her freshman year. She didn’t take it well. She takes a lot of pride in her sexuality and makes a ton of puns about it. While she seems punk and edgy, she’s bubbly and easily laughs once she trusts you. 

She does have trust issues. And touch issues. She has a lot of issues. She’s had anxiety since middle school, and while she does know how to cope, sometimes it gets the best of her. 

She and Charlie were involved until he came to her apartment one night, drunk. She didn’t take it well. Neither did he. He said some things that scared her, so she told him to leave until he sorted himself out. As he left, she begged him to come back soon with an answer. He never came back


	5. I've been Ghosting~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this was kinda difficult to right because half the characters here are Ditsy's but I tried.

Every movie tells you that time will slow down.

Your eyes will meet one another's.

The music will swirl around you and you two will slowly approach each other.

That's not at all what happened for Viv.

The music grew so loud. Or was that the sound of her own heart beat? She couldn't tell at this point. And the only thought in her head? It alternated between a constant steady stream of _holyshitholyshitholyshit_ or _holy hell....he looks Good._ And at this point? She couldn't tell what the feeling was that was thundering in her chest was. But it was very very much there.

Charlie wasn't dressed how he usually was. The button up and dorky bowtie was replaced with something much different. Ripped skinny jeans graced his legs, a loose but holey tee-shirt and some laced up sneakers. A few bracelets were worn over his wrists and his blondish-brown hair had clearly been shown how to be styled. It swooped over his eyes and tucked behind his ears as if God himself wanted him to be perfect.  There was only one issue.

_**He had clearly gotten over her.** _

Why else would he dress this way? It was clearly for him to torture her. To show her everything she couldn't have. There was a neon-blonde girl whispering in his ear. He grinned at her words and Viv felt jealousy grow in her stomach. She Had to find Devon right now. But she was watching a train wreck. And just like you say, one can never stop looking away. Viv watched as the neon-blonde snaked around Charlie, touching his shoulder, his arm, everything she could get her hands on. Everything Viv couldn't touch. Her lips were always so close to his ear. He never looked towards the blonde but it was clear he knew what was happening. He stared at Viv as if she wasn't there. As if Viv was just a blank wall.

But Viv herself felt a hand trail up her arm. It gripped her shoulder and twirled her around, her back now facing the train wreck that was threatening tears. She didn't have to come looking for Devon. He saved her from a minor social suicide. He was distracting her.

"That's the boy I take it?" Devon's voice was in her ear. He was leaning down to talk to her over the music.

"Yes..."

"And the girl?"

"I'm not sure"

"But you sure know how to pick 'em Viv"

"heh...thanks...but you really aren't helping."

"I'm clearly helping you more than you realize" 

Viv looked up at her best friend, confusing clearly on her face. Devon just sighed, and moved them both around so that Devon's back was to Charlie.

"Go ahead Viv, take a look at your boy. But do it as covertly as you can."

Viv glanced over at Charlie. He was staring down Devon's back, whispering hurriedly at the atomic-blonde. She looked like she was trying to calm him down.

"You've got your boy all riled up. Correction. I've got your boy all up in arms."

Viv looked back up at Devon.

"Smile, love. If he wants to break your heart and make you jealous, then we can remind him that two can play at that game. After all..."

"All's fair in love and War"

Viv smiled.

"That's right, smile and laugh V. After all, if he wants to make you bleed, then we'll remind him that he just got stiches too. And if he's that over you, then you're gonna be over him too. Now laugh and smiled like I just told you the flirtiest thing ever. He doesn't know I'm your best friend, right?"

Viv hit Devon lightly and laughed hard. She put her best acting face on and pretended to flirt with Devon without saying anything actually flirtatious.

"No, we weren't dating for long"

"Great. At some point soon, I'll leave to get you some punch. We'll see if he talks to you. For now, lets dance"

Viv smiled a genuine smile. She had the greatest best friend. He twirled her around a couple times, which ended with Viv heavily leaning on Devon to catch her breath and remain steady. They danced around a few more minutes, Viv laughing until she couldn't breathe. Devon stopped her eventually, leaning down to tell her that it was time to see if it had worked. Then, he left.

Viv immediately felt exposed. Her safety net was gone, leaving no barrier between her and Charlie. The atomic-blonde was still with him, but the blonde's eye's were on Devon as he walked away. She pushed Charlie forward, towards Viv, while saying something in his ear. Then she too walked away, in the same direction Devon had gone. Viv watched Charlie walk towards her, panic rising in her throat. Before she could do anything, Charlie was standing right in front of her.

"So that's the new lover boy, huh?"

"What?"

"Who's boyfriend did that used to be? I heard that's your new reputation around here. Ever since I ditched you"

Viv scoffed. Sure, there was a new reputation. A new rumor about her. But there was no truth to it.

"Charlie, I dumped you. Besides, you never came back."

Charlie almost seemed hurt for a second. But his face quickly masked his emotions.

"So it's true. We split and you become the local home wrecker. I knew you were hiding something. You just love to watch people fall to ruins"

_Alright. You wanna fucking play this game? Fine Charlie. Lets play this goddamn game. Fuck you._

"And your the one trying to fool everyone into thinking your this suave dude, when really, you're an alcoholic with daddy issues."

"Fuck you Viv"

"Fuck you Charlie. Fuck you!"

Viv turned her heel and walked away. How stupid was she, thinking Charlie would come back to her. How stupid did she honestly have to be? An idiot, obviously. A grade A idiot. Desperately, she grabbed Devon from the punch table and lead him outside. From the look on his face, he had already figured out what had happened. he never gave her a look of pity, but instead, guided her to his car to take them both back to his apartment.

And if Viv felt a pair of eyes on her, she didn't tell anybody.


	6. Hey you, don’t you think it’s kinda cute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lowkey cute chapter, but mostly angst

Devon took her back to her apartment. He unlocked the door for her and she walked inside. She took a deep breath. To be alone here would be torture. 

“Don’t go.”

He smiled. It was one of those magic smiles. The ones that made her feel warm and treasured. 

“I won’t. I’ll stay as long as you need me”.

she grabbed a pair of sweatpants and an old teeshirt. It was for some band she used to like in high school. It was probably Devon’s. Not that he would remember. Or mind. 

Devon had gathered up some food while she was changing. Warm grilled cheese and tomato soup waited for her at her table. 

“You spoil me Dev.”

”only as much as you deserve V.”

Devon stopped and looked serious for a moment. 

“I don’t know all the details. I don’t need to know. Viv, I trust you. You may want to seem all tough, but inside, you’re still a good kid. You make the right choices when you can. He doesn’t deserve you.”

”once upon a time. When he and I first met, he did deserve me. He treated me like I was some sort of goddess. He told me his secrets. He trusted me. I trusted him... I could have loved him, Devon. I didn’t think it was possible. But I could have... but he came here on night, drunk off his ass and yelling at me. Accusing me of tempting him so I could make fun of him. Calling me sweetheart. He wouldn’t leave... until I kicked him out.”

”And then you told him not to leave until he gave you an answer. If he could get better.”

”You know how the rest ends...”

”The story isn’t over yet Viv”

”I think it is. I think we just found the ending.”

Devon looked sad. Viv swallowed, begging tears not to come. Not again. She ate her sandwich and soup silently. Devon looked up at the clock when they had both finished eating. 

“It’s late V”

”go ahead to bed, I’m going to take a walk. I’ll be back soon”

Devon nodded. Viv grabbed her camera bag and her sneakers. She watched as Devon crawled into the bed, listening to a few songs before sleeping. She slipped her shoes on and walked out the door, her bag on her shoulder. The campus was close to her apartment, and she knew it well enough to navigate it by the moonlight. She walked around the green for a few minutes, before unconsciously approaching a relatively isolated fountain. It was behind the science building, close to the apartments on the other side of campus. There was a figure sitting on the lip of the fountain. They were watching the water pour down into the base, the sound the only constant noise. A few dogs barked. Between these two, you couldn’t hear Viv’s footsteps. But you could hear the low mutter of someone’s voice. Viv couldn’t make out the words. But she knew that voice. She would know it anywhere.

she took her camera out. She didn’t have to have the sentimental attachment to know that this was a good compestition. The moonlight was just behind him, perfectly outlining his silhouette. She snapped one photo, prayed the shutter was quiet enough to not be heard. She went to take another, but somehow the flash turned on. Viv watched in slow motion as her camera flashed the boy on the fountain. She ran as fast as she could away, darting behind the wall of the building closest to her. She prayed that he wouldn’t go looking for her. 

He didn’t. 

And with that, Viv headed home. 


	7. And never ever did I give a-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look idk where I’m headed with this story. 
> 
>  
> 
> ...yikes

At 4am, there was a knock on Viv’s apartment door. Viv has gotten back from her walk, her camera now cradled close to her heart, displaying his picture. Devon was fast asleep on her bed. She didn’t think she could fall asleep tonight. 

So when she heard a knock on her apartment door at 4 am, she answered. It was the atomic-blonde standing in the doorway. Viv’s mood turned sour.

”one. Who are you. Two. How the fuck do you know where I live. And three. Get the fuck out.”

”look, I know you must hate me. But I didn’t expect him to be so awful to you.”

”You really suck at answering questions.”

Viv turned to slam the door shut. A foot in the door stopped it.

”I’m Sophie, a friend of charlie’s. That’s it. We’re just friends. I rifled through his diary to find your address. I know he’s been a bitch lately.”

”As if I care what he does.”

”I know you do Vivian.”

”It’s Viv to friends. Of course that doesn’t matter, we aren’t friends”

”Just let me in for five minutes...I’m sure I can help both of you”

Viv relenquished.

“Fine, but not here”

Viv grabbed her coat, checked that both her sneakers were still tied, glanced back at Devon, and left. She would send him a text, but she was sure she’d be back before he woke up. 

The two headed to campus, where Viv was just a few hours ago. They walked together in awkward silence, Viv waiting for Sophie to speak, and Sophie waiting for a good time. 

“I know everything...well...I know everything from Charlie’s perspective. I know what you meant to him...so why is it so hard for you two?”

Viv took a minute. She was grateful that she wouldn’t have to explain everything that happened.  Atomic blonde, correction, Sophie, would be quick to defend him. Viv was too tired to fight anymore today. 

“He came to my apartment, drunk off his ass, calling me sweetheart. Darling. Love. All the pet names that have that little sharp edge to them. The words that make panic rise a little in your throat. It was too much for me...”

Viv stopped again. They were passing the fountain that Charlie was at a few hours ago. He was gone now. 

“So I told him to leave. To tell me if he could get better. He never came back with an answer”

Sophie looked surprised. 

“I- I’m sorry Vivian. I had no idea. Not about the second part. He- He never told me” 

“well...now you know. That’s everything.” 

“That...changes things.”

“You came here to blame me.”

“Yes”

“And now you can’t

“Look, I’m sorry. This was a big mistake. I need to go talk to Charlie”

”And he didn’t know you were coming to rendezvous with me”

”You’re smart. Strong. I see why he likes you. But still, I gotta go. Bye!”

”yeah, bye” 

By now, the sun had started to rise. It seemed like such a short conversation, but over an hour had passed. Viv didn’t realized how far away she had walked until Sophie left her. She was across campus, close to the house that had the party last night. 

Suddenly, a nearby door slammed, footsteps thundering out of it.

“GOD DAMN VIVIAN WEBB YOU BETTER STOP MOVING RIGHT NOW”

Viv stopped wandering around and turned to see the owner of the voice that was storming towards her. 

And shit. It was Brittney Dean. Brittney Dean was in the same year as Devon. She was 19, with long light brown hair, often straight. She had blue eyes and a preppy vibe about her. And worst of all, she was absolutely in love with Devon. Devon himself tried telling her that he would never have feelings do her, he doesn’t like anyone in a romantic way. But she refused to listen. Now, anyone who flirts with him gets yelled at.

But she believed that Viv was the worst of them all. Viv slept in his apartment, was with him all the time, and never seemed to be in a constant relationship.

It dawned on Viv, just as Brittney was storming towards her, that while Devon was an amazing friend at the party last night, he made a huge mistake. He flirted with someone. More specifically, he flirted with Viv. 

And Viv felt even more regret the instant a fist connected with her face.


	8. Duo-Duality

Her ears rang.

And god her face fucking hurt. 

“What the fuck Brittney!”

Viv took a step back, a hand over her eye, occasionally checking it to make sure she wasn’t bleeding. After a minute, she realized that Brittney had been talking. She could hardly hear over the ringing.

”-and I knew he was lying but to be interested in you? In you. You’re stealing my boyfriend! My! Boyfriend! How could you you fucking home wrecker. You got what you deserved. I hope your nose is broken and I-“

Viv turned around and walked away. She hardly heard anything that Brittney was saying, but it didn’t matter. She walked back to her apartment the best she could. The sun had risen now, it had to be 6:30 or so. It was beginning to get busy on campus, students coming out of apartments and dorms for their early morning classes. Others slinking back from frat houses and last night’s parties. Devon would be waking up soon. Viv didn’t expect to be back for so long. 

She tried to open the door as quietly as possible, but Devon was already awake when Viv entered her apartment. 

“Hey Viv, where were y- Holy shit what happened?”

Viv tried to laugh but it hurt too much. 

“Funny story...”

”Oh I’m sure” 

“So the atomic-blonde came by. Her name is Sophie, by the way. She’s mad at Charlie now...I think. And on the way back, I met Brittney. She’s still into you, by the way. I think....it’s kinda hard to hear...there’s still a ringing in my ear...”

Devon, while Viv was talking, walked over to the freezer and grabbed a small ice pack. He handed it to Viv after the wrapped it in a towel. 

“Jesus Christ Viv. I knew she was crazy but she’s never punched anyone...”

”Yeah.....she was at the party last night soooo....”

”Fuck. This is all my fault.”

”Dev,it’s not. It’s Brittney’s fault that she’s a fucking crazy bitch. You weren’t the one who gave me a black eye.”

Despite Viv’s constant reassurances that it wasn’t his fault, Devon still blamed himself. He tried to make up for it by making breakfast while Viv laid down on the couch, with Supergirl playing in the background.

* * *

 

At 11, Viv got changed into clean clothes, this time, wearing the outfit of Devon’s choice. Which they fought over. She eventually settled on ripped skinny jeans and her usual grey teeshirt, her usual blue beanie on her head. She grabbed her jacket and her bag and headed off. Devon offered to come with her, but she declined. It was just one class. It wasn’t like they sat right next to each other.

But being in the same room. 

Unable to escape.

Unable to leave. 

Viv has to face it at some time. She had already skipped this class three days in a row, out of pure fear of seeing Charlie in her class. She had maxed out her absenses and had to attend it today. Besides, she had faced a lot in the past few days, she could handle an hour. 

But as she walked in, she felt her heart race. Her eyes uncounciously searched for him. She kept having to ignore her instincts. She focused on the stairs. On the sunlight and how it dappled on the floor from the wide windows. She focused on finding an open seat. She focused on taking out her laptop, opening it up, getting ready to take notes. 

But the Fates were not in her favor. 

“Ms. Webb, please come demonstrate this equation, since you have such a good handle on it that you can daydream.”

shit. She hadn’t realized class had even started. Mr. Jason was a tough teacher. He was middle aged, not quiet old enough to be called ‘professer’ but not quiet young enough for any fitting title. So everyone stuck with ‘teacher’. While he was stern and tough on all the kids, he especially hated the punks for some reason. He particularly didn’t like Viv. And while Viv did know the equation and found it easy, she sucked at talking to her class. As she tried not to stumble down the steps of the classroom, she prayed that he wouldn’t be looking at her. 

The fates were not in her favor today. 

Because the moment she turned to explain her work that she had just written down, their eyes met. 

He lifted his head just as she began to explain. She watched as his eyes turned from shock, to embarrassment, to something else. His eyes scanned her face, particularly staring at her bruised eye. She saw anger flash in his eyes before it settled to some unnamable expression. Something dark. She felt herself flush, and try to look away. She felt her brain start to shortwire, and she began to stumble over her words. He continued to stare, and while it should have been utterly and completely creepy, it wasn’t. Because they were both feeling the same thing. An utter need for something you’re not allowed to touch.

Viv finally finished explaining, smiled a spiteful smile at Mr. Jason, and shakily walked up the stairs back to her seat. She tried to gain the focus she had in the beginning of class, but it was more elusive as ever. She couldn’t focus. Her anxiety made her legs shake, her heart race and thump in her ears, and she suddenly realized that there were whispers all around her. The home wrecker got a black eye. Viv narrowed her eyes. She wanted to yell at them. To tell them “fuck you! Yeah u don’t know anything about me! All you know is lies!”. But as she turned to tell the people next to her to shut up and stop talking shit about her, she caught sight of something else. Charlie, furiously whispering to the guy sitting next to him. His hands waved mildly around, and he was shaking. With anger? Or anxiety? Viv didn’t know. But half the class turned to listen to him, and it grew so silent that even Viv could hear him speak.

”If you ever say that bullshit again, I fucking Swear-“ 

Charlie was interrupted by the cocky boy he was yelling at. 

“Awwww I’m so sorry I was talking about your slut of a girlfriend” 

Viv felt anger in her chest again. She knew the rumors, but she thought everyone knew that they were just rumors. Nothing more. 

“I swear to god I’m going to-“

The booming,commanding voice of Mr. Jason interrupted Charlie this time. 

“Gentleman, is there a problem?”

”no sir, just a dumbass trying to defend a sl-“ The cocky asshat began to say. Charlie interrupted him. 

“Actually, yeah. There’s a fucking problem. You have a fucking idiotic class. Full of stupid people who don’t know shit.”

”Mr. O’mara, please leave my class. Don’t come back until you have a better attitude and can apologize. Or, don’t come back at all”

Charlie furiously stood up and yanked his bag up from the ground. He began to walk down the steps. Viv shot up, purely running on adrenaline. 

“Mr. Jason! Charlie did nothing wrong! He as telling him that those rumors are wrong! He was just-“

”Ms. Webb! We’ve already interrupted the class once to hear you speak. I do not want to hear you a third time”

Viv tried to listen. But she was furious. She grabbed her bag in one hand and slammed her laptop closed. She grabbed it in her other hand and raced down to get to Charlie. Charlie had stopped for a moment to listen to Viv’s outburst, before slinking out of the classroom. Viv rushed to follow him. 

“Now, we’re even” 

“Charlie, wait!”

But he didn’t stop walking. Viv didn’t follow him. Instead she headed home. It was supposed to be just an hour of class work. Instead, she had gotten called out, talked about, and now had to drop a class that was easy to her. 

God it had been a long day. And it wasn’t even 12 yet.

 


	9. Even Angels can be bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow I have to get this done before Wednesday

If she was being honest, she didn’t know where she was going. Because clearly, Viv was lost. 

But, Viv figured, lost was better than having to tell Devon what happened in math class this morning. Because Viv was really tired of seeing Charlie and only meeting each other when they’re angry and angsty. Viv was tired of the angst. And she was determined to do something about it. 

As soon as she knew where we was. 

But, funny thing about being lost, fate has a way of making you think you’re lost when you aren’t. Because Viv looked up at a coffee shop, grabbed her wallet, and figured she’d get a coffee and some directions. 

Instead, she walked into the coffee shop and saw a shock of farmiliar neon yellow hair. 

 

“Sophie. Mind if I sit here? I hope not because I’m sitting here now” Viv said, a plan forming in her head. Sophie chuckled. 

“Go ahead Vivian”

”Dude, just call me Viv.”

”So we’re friends now?”

”Sure. Why not? You didn’t yell at me last time we met so.”

Sophie chuckled again. Viv decided she liked the sound. It was confident, self assured, but soft. 

“So I need to know where Charlie is”

Viv decided to just come out and say it. No suave plan. Sophie wouldn’t need to be charmed. Sophie just wanted the straightforward truth.

”....why” She said reluctantly, trying to figure out what Viv was up to.

”So math class happened. And I am really really tired of this angry angst dance we keep fucking dancing. We gotta sort out something civil so we can both continue with our lives.”

”Wow. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I can respect that” Sophie looked a little shocked, a new look in her eye when she looked at Viv. She gave her Adrress to Viv. Viv turned to leave. “That’s probably where he’s at. But Viv, it might turn into an argument. I know you want to get over him, but he’s really not over you. At all” 

Vov had turned around as Sophie was saying this. She felt her stomach drop, a vague nervousness settling in. Charlie still cared for her? 

Viv walked back towards the campus, with directions and the address in her hand. Turns out she wasn’t far from campus. She desperately tried to think of what she would say when she saw him. She couldn’t think of any thing that didn’t sound dumb. 

The sky above her rumbled. Gray clouds were settling into the sky above her. It would rain soon. Viv silently wished she had an umbrella. Or something other than her soft cardigan she wore. 

* * *

 

Viv neared the building. She recognized it as the same one she found Charlie sitting at. The fountain gurgled as she neared it. A figure, once again, sat on the side of it. As she grew nearer, she recognized it. Charlie. 

She felt nostalgia tug at her. Her mind flashed to the photo she took that night. It hadn’t been that long ago, but it felt like weeks had passed between that night and today. 

“Hey, Charlie.”

”Viv? Why are you-whatever. Look, just leave me alone” 

“we need to talk” 

“No, we don’t” 

He got up to leave. Viv reaches out, anger tangling in her emotions. She grabbed his hand.

”Yes. We do. Because this doesn’t just hurt you. I’m affected too.”

Charlie looked shocked. Then angry. 

“Let go of my hand Viv” 

His voice grew dark and menacing. Viv shivered. She wasn’t cold. 

“Not unless you promise to stay.”

His eyes narrowed. They seemed to grow darker. 

“Let me go Viv”

His voice was a little deeper than before.

”I’m sorry Charlie. I can’t.”

He suddenly pulled his wrist forward, pulling Viv much closer to him than before. She didn’t lose her grip, but she lost all thoughts that were in her head.

Charlie brought his other hand up, near Viv’s face. He gently put his hand on her face, his thumb gently resting on the edge of her black eye. She felt her self sigh, the warmth of his hand unfamiliar but not unwelcome. 

“Does it hurt?” He asked softly. 

Viv shook her head lightly. 

“Not so much anymore.”

Charlie suddenly yanked his hand from her face, and pulled his other hand from Viv’s grip. He bolted towards the apartment door just as small raindrops began to fall. He slipped inside, leaving Viv alone, confused, and in the rain. 

She walked over to the fountain and sat down. She tried to pull her cardigan closer to her, the rain soaking quickly through it, it coming down in a constant pour. She laughed a short spiteful laugh. Of course it was raining when Viv was sad. It was like her life was one terrible movie. 

After what felt like half an hour, Viv heard footsteps behind her. She stood up and quickly turned, but found Brittney instead of Charlie. 

“I thought it was you. See, I have you a warning and you didn’t listen. Was the black eye not enough for you? See, I heard what happened in Mr. Jason’s class. Once a home wrecker, always a home wrecker. Now you fuck up classes too.” 

Viv wanted to get angry. Her words stung, but she gave no evidence of a plan to defend herself. Instead, Viv stood to accept her punishment. 

And then everything seemed to happened in slow motion.

Footsteps running behind her, running towards her. A fist beginning to rear back in an all too farmiliar pose.  Suddenly a figure stood in front of her, defending her. A fist was stopped by another’s hand. He took his empty hand and punched her. We would have matching black eyes, Viv thought.He pulled her fist towards him, and despite the rain, Viv could her his low voice. 

“Don’t you ever touch her again. Okay?”

Eveyrhig went back to normal time. Brittney vigorously shook her head. She covered her eye with her hand, a similar motion to what Viv had done. But she left, muttering about “crazy bitches” under her breath. Eventually the rain drowned her out. 

Charlie took off his jacket and wrapped it around Viv. 

“I’m an idiot Viv. But I thought you would just go home, not stick around and get a cold” 

Viv muttered something about being fine, that she could have handled it. 

“Right. I’m sure you could, you have a nasty right hook.”

Charlie had a farmiliar smile on his face, one she knew from so long ago. It was warm. And Viv wanted to live in that smile. 

“Come on, let’s get you inside” 

And he led her into the building, towards Sophie’s apartment. 


	10. If I shall fall, as Lucifer fell

“Can you walk okay?”

Just hours ago, Charlie’s face only showed anger and hatred as he looked at her. Now, there was only concern. 

“Yeah, I think I’m okay to walk. I was cold, not rendered immobile”

”Sorry...I just feel guilty” 

“Don’t. I’m just a mess right now.”

Charlie stayed one step behind her, ready to catch her if she fell, as they climbed up the stairs. Finally, they reached Sophie’s apartment. Charlie stepped closer to the door and unlocked it, opening it and ushering Viv inside. He immediately headed to the stove, where a kettle was, and started to heat up water. 

“So....”

Viv stood in the middle of the space awkwardly. Charlie immediately turned around at the sound of her voice. 

“So..”

”Where do we go from here?”

”Well....I’m not sure” 

“Because I don’t think I can get over you. I’ve tried. But if this is going to work out, we need to sort out our problems before we launch right back into it”

”You still like me?”

”....Are you serious Charlie?”

”um....yes?”

”Charlie. I can’t get over you. No matter what I do”

”But I’ve been such a dick to you. You deserve so much more than me”

”But I chose you. I can’t help who I love. Who I like....”

The kettle started screaming. Charlie rushed over to it, he had taken a few unconscious steps towards Viv, and turned it off. He grabbed two mugs and two teabags and put them in the mugs. He poured water into them and handed one to Viv. She smiled a grateful smile. Charlie sat down, still trying to process what Viv had said. 

“Charlie? Are you okay?”

Charlie looked shell shocked for a moment, before looking up at Viv with determination. 

“If you’re choosing me, then I’ll make sure I’m worthy of being your choice. I’ll quit drinking. I’ll stop isolating myself. My problems will be your problems, if you’ll take them”

Viv chuckled, before smiling. 

“I’ll take whatever I can get”


	11. Info:

So you can totally stick with this ending, or being all happy with loose ends tied. 

But I feel like it hasn’t reached its full potential, but it’s clearly reached its natural end. 

So there’s gonna be an epilogue!

so read it if you want, or leave it here and be done with the story. 

But I have until Wednesday, so about a day to write an entire epilogue and I’m gonna do it. 

It’s gonna be full of angst and happy shit and sappy shit and it’ll be gr8

dont hate me sage 

**Author's Note:**

> So I’m not supposed to read Sage’s work so I’m taking WHAT I DID READ and branching off from there and hopefully it’ll turn out really cool with really nice endings but probably not


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